Embodiments of the present invention relate to data input, and more specifically, to a method, apparatus and related computer program product for controlling a cursor on a touch screen.
Data input is a significant aspect for implementing interactions between users and computing devices, and users may input data using a keyboard, a mouse, a stylus, and the like. In the field of pointing devices, there are various pointing devices supporting data input, such as a mouse, a touchpad, a joystick, a trackball, etc. These pointing devices can support a user to interact with a graphical user interface provided on a computing device. However, these pointing devices are typically individual external devices and need to occupy an additional space, so they are not quite suitable for portable computing devices or those computing devices on which the installation of a pointing device is spatially limited.
The emergence of a touch screen enables input for a user by using his/her own finger/stylus without the need to install an additional pointing device. However, the user needs to touch the screen within the entire scope of the touch screen, so as to move an input focus to any desired location on the touch screen. However, when using a computing device with a touch screen, the user usually needs to hold the computing device with one hand, while touching the surface of the touch screen and controlling the input focus with the other hand. At this point, when the touching hand is spatially limited or, for example, the user is a physically challenged one, then it is difficult for the user to touch the touch screen across the entire scope. In another example, when a size of the touch screen used by the user is quite large (e.g., more than 50 inches), then the user needs to move his/her arm(s) for a large distance so as to move from one side of the touch screen to the other side. Therefore, these problems limit the use of touch screens.